Although everyone seems to agree that making a movie about Alan Turing is a good idea, it’s been tough to bring The Imitation Game to the big screen. Leo DiCaprio flirted with the lead role and the likes of J Blakeson have come and gone from the directing chair.
Most recently Headhunters helmer Morten Tyldum stepped up to helm and now he may have found his Turing in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch.
Turing is famed for helping the Allies defeat the Germans in World War II by breaking codes and building machines that were the forerunners of modern computers (which were based on his theories). However, in the 1950s he was prosecuted by the British government for being gay.
Turing made the extreme decision to undergo chemical castration instead of going to prison. In 1954 he died from cyanide poisoning, with many believing he killed himself by dosing an apple with the substance (although there are still come who believe it was accidental).
Graham Moore wrote the screenplay, which landed atop the Black List in 2011. There’s no studio attached yet, but the hope is they’ll get all the financing sorted once Cumberbatch officially signs on. (Source: Deadline)